


Denial

by miriamsc



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 12:05:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15267147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miriamsc/pseuds/miriamsc
Summary: Baekhyun is comfortable with is sexuality. Chanyeol is not comfortable with Baekhyun.





	Denial

**Author's Note:**

> Bottom Chanyeol and dubcon if you squint really hard.

„Hey Baek, party at Lalice’s on Friday?“ “Baekhyun hyung, good job at the presentation today!” “Oppa! Wanna come shopping with us?” Chanyeol huffed in annoyance. Baekhyun this, Baekhyun that, Baekhyun, you’re so awesome. What even was that great about the guy? He was kinda pretty, but that was all. Why did he make friends so quickly when he was obviously trying way too hard? Oh, and then there was also the fact that he was openly gay and not even ashamed of it. Chanyeol sneered in lack of understanding. Homosexuality was not a popular sight in Korea, yet everyone at the office seemed to forget about that when it came to the petit male. Everyone except for Chanyeol.

“Hi, Chanyeol, are you going to come to Lalice’s party on Friday?” Chanyeol mentally groaned. What the fuck was wrong with the guy? Didn’t he get the hint that Chanyeol disliked him and thus was completely and utterly dense or did he just ignore it like the annoying person he was? “No, Mr. Byun, I have work to do.” Better show him where we’re standing right away. Baekhyun’s face fell a little. “On a Friday night?” Dammit. “That’s a shame. You really work too much, Chanyeol. Should I perhaps help you with something? I don’t really have much to do at the moment, anyways. You shouldn’t have to miss out because of work.” Chanyeol inwardly sighed in relief before responding. “No, thanks, I can handle myself. I’m not that much of a fan of parties, anyways.” Baekhyun looked at him in a testing manner and then, to Chanyeol’s big surprise, gave in. “Alright, then. But tell me if I can help, okay?” Chanyeol nodded distractedly and watched Baekhyun leave. Like I’d ask you for help. Chanyeol went back to work. One of the many things that irked Chanyeol about Baekhyun was his fucking niceness. Like, who was like that towards someone who refused to even speak to him? Only Byun Baekhyun. Chanyeol groaned in an attempt to focus on his screen. As always after an encounter with Baekhyun, he couldn’t focus and found himself thinking about the shorter instead. It was bothersome, really.

 

With a sigh, Chanyeol stretched out on his couch. Finally, it was Friday. Two days of not seeing Baekhyun’s pretty annoying face around. Chanyeol grabbed the book he was currently reading and a bottle of soju. Of course he drank alcohol on a Friday night. He just didn’t want to do it together with his colleagues who, despite being completely grown up, partied like college kids. Chanyeol snorted at the thought of them. They would probably get drunk, fuck around a little and then wake up in a stranger’s bed with a terrible hangover. Sounded fun, indeed. Chanyeol didn’t think that it was sad at all that he was alone in his own flat drinking on a Friday night. Who even went to parties, really? A few of his colleagues like Lalice, Soojung, Siwon… and Baekhyun. How even did guy like him get laid? Did he just flirt and hope not to get punched in the face or what? Not that Chanyeol cared. But Baekhyun really didn’t seem like the shy kind of guy when it came to socially approaching someone. Maybe he just talked to extremely drunk guys. Baekhyun could count as a girl with a blurry enough sight. Whatever strategies people like Baekhyun might follow, Chanyeol did not care. He was at home, safe from possible HIV-infected rapists. What he did care about, though, were the remarks he would surely get from his colleagues next Monday. He didn’t specifically see their opinions as important, but the jabs in the side about his lack of a social life were still annoying. So what if he was twenty-six and never even had a girlfriend? It was none of their business. Chanyeol didn’t want to go out, was that so fucking hard to comprehend? He groaned. The only person who didn’t tease him was, unfortunately, Baekhyun and Chanyeol really didn’t want to think of him at the moment. He forced his eyes back on the book. Why did it even matter, if Baekhyun got laid? Because I feel sorry for the poor drunkard who took him home. Chanyeol replied to himself in regard of the burning feeling in his chest that showed up whenever he thought of Baekhyun having some kind of sexual relationship with another guy. Chanyeol tossed the book aside with a sigh. Well, then, just soju it is.

A beautiful pair of eyes forms crescents at the sight of Chanyeol. “Hey, sweetheart, how was your day?” Chanyeol feels a smile forming on his lips. “It was okay. Better with you.” Pink lips stretch into a rectangle. “Really, now?” Chanyeol nods and leans down to kiss his lover’s pretty lips. “And how was yours?” His lover sighs tiredly. “I’ve been looking forward to come home to you the whole day.” Chanyeol hums sympathetically and hugs his small lover. “I love you, Yeol.” “I love you too, Baek.”

Chanyeol jolted awake. What the fuck was that? Granted, it wasn’t the first time he dreamt about his colleague, his male colleague like that, but it still baffled him every time it happened. Because Chanyeol was as straight as a ruler. He knew that for a fact. Yup. Chanyeol cracked his back while stretching and got up to make breakfast. It surprised quite many people that Chanyeol was a good cook. Then again, he’s lived alone for eight years, if he still could only make ramen that would be a bit sad. Mindlessly, Chanyeol chugged down his breakfast without really tasting it. Those dreams about Baekhyun were getting out of hand. It scared Chanyeol.

 

“Chanyeol-ssi, could you come to my office for a second?” “Sure, one second, sir.” Chanyeol hurriedly finished his report and went to Mr. Oh’s office. What could his boss possibly want from him? Chanyeol wasn’t aware of any faults he let upon his work. Sure, he wasn’t the best worker in the office (that was Baekhyun) but he definitely wasn’t bad, either. He always delivered on time, so what could have made him stand out? Surely Chanyeol was just worrying too much. He didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe Mr. Oh was just checking up on him. Yeah, that must have been it. Chanyeol took a deep breath and entered. Mr. Oh, currently talking to someone on his phone, motioned for Chanyeol to sit. “Yes, I understand this is important… Does Jongin perhaps have a break in his schedule? … Alright, please transfer the task to him… Yes, thank you. Goodbye.” Mr. Oh hung up and looked at Chanyeol over the rim of his glasses. Not that he needed them; he had eyes like a hawk. (Chanyeol heard his female coworkers swooning over them on a regular basis, as well as Mr. Oh’s jawline and other parts) Mr. Oh’s lips were pressed into a tight line and a frown marred the young CEO’s forehead. It wasn’t exactly hard to tell that the boss was not pleased. Chanyeol just had trouble figuring out why. While he was still busy trying to recall all his mishaps in the last three months and making up excuses, Mr. Oh raised his voice. “So… How is your work progressing?” Chanyeol furrowed his brows. Is this a trap? “Good, I guess?” Chanyeol replied hesitantly. He had no idea where his employer was going with this. Mr. Oh nodded as a sign of having absorbed his answer. “Are you sure?” Chanyeol felt quite uncomfortable under the CEO’s burning gaze, as if he could see right through him. “Yeah.” Was all he brought out, and he was glad his voice didn’t waver. Mr. Oh’s expression softened a little. “That’s good, then. But perhaps you should allow people to help you when you have too much to do. I don’t want any of my employees to burn out, and working on a Friday evening certainly sounds like a quick way to do exactly that. Baekhyun told me he was worried about you. He also volunteered as your substitute; he thinks you work too much. So if you need any help, you can ask him, he’d gladly do so. If you don’t have any questions, you can go back to work now.” Chanyeol nodded and left. Baekhyun, huh? How is the guy this close with even our boss? Chanyeol sighed. Who did the guy even think he was to determine how much Chanyeol should work? He might have possibly meant well, but Chanyeol still didn’t appreciate it when someone stuck his nose into his business. He’d have to tell Baekhyun that as soon as he was done with his current task, since the guy seemed too dense to get the hint on his own.

“Mr. Byun?” Chanyeol knocked at his coworker’s door. “Yes, Chanyeol, come in.” The phrase sounded like a sigh. Chanyeol turned the doorknob and entered. Baekhyun sat behind his desk and gave Chanyeol a small smile. “Did you know that you’re the only one in this entire building who insists on calling me by my last name?” Chanyeol already figured something like that. He shrugged. “I like to keep things professional. We don’t know each other that well.” Baekhyun mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like But we could… before asking “Alright then, how can I help you?” Straight to the point. “By not helping me.” Chanyeol answered bluntly. Baekhyun cocked his head. The look of lack of understanding on his face would have been cute if it wasn’t Baekhyun. “You see, Mr. Oh called me into his office today because he thought I was overworking myself. Apparently, you were the one to tell him that. I know you meant well, but I dislike people looking into my business. It was my division of time that made me work that late, entirely my decision. Mr. Oh knows very well that the amount of work I do should not be enough to overwhelm anyone, I don’t want to look like the weak link in the chain when I’m not. So I would be grateful if you didn’t interfere.” Baekhyun’s face fell a little with every word and in the end of his mini-speech he felt like he kicked a puppy, but his colleague put on a smile an nodded. “I understand.” Chanyeol left Baekhyun’s office with a bad feeling in his stomach. He scoffed at himself. So what if Baekhyun looked hurt? It wasn’t any of Chanyeol’s business. He didn’t even like the guy. So why would he care? He didn’t. Not in the least. And he didn’t feel guilty, either. Wasn’t his fault when Baekhyun was so sensitive. And this was how Chanyeol spent the rest of his day. By not caring and not feeling guilty and definitely not being distracted by his own thoughts. Nope.

Chanyeol sighed when he got home. He had been unproductive once again. Because of Baekhyun. Once again. Ugh. He threw his bag into a corner and grabbed his book. It was a good book. Too bad that Chanyeol couldn’t focus. He groaned when the phone rang and very reluctantly put the book down. “Chanyeol, is that you?” Chanyeol rolled his eyes at his mother’s question. Who else would it be? “Yes, eomma, hi. What do you need?” His mother let out an indignant noise. “What, can a mother not call her only son just to check up on him?” A normal mother might. “You’re right, eomma, sorry. How are you?” “Oh, I’ve been just splendid. I met this girl the other day and she was so sweet and kind and polite…” Aha. I knew there was a reason to all of this. His mother constantly tried to set him up with girls. Every other month, she dragged him to a blind date with a fantastic girl she accidentally bumped into while grocery shopping. It was tiring, really. None of the girls suited his taste even remotely. Why? They were exactly what his conservative parents though a good wife should be: Giggly airheads with no job or ambition for themselves. Their biggest dream: A family with many children who they could cook and clean for. His mother always said it was because she wanted him to be provided for, and when Chanyeol told him that he could cook and clean very well on his own, she straight up hit him with ‘But you shouldn’t, you’re a man.’ On that occasion Chanyeol would usually ask if he should go and cut a mammoth tree with his bare hands or do other manly things, just to make sure. His mother would give him a disgusted look. A woman might have to do the housework, but a male doing something physical was basically a proletarian. Muscles were an item of fancy looks, not something practical. Chanyeol sometimes didn’t understand his mother. Alright, all the time. She taught him all of these ideals since he could think. What a man should do, how a man behaves, what is considered girlish. Chanyeol remembers mentioning the wish of going to dancing classes together with his friend Yixing when he was eleven and his mother signing him up for the football club instead. Good times. It was always like that. His mother picked his school, his hobbies, she approved of his friends (That’s why he didn’t have any. Just like with girls, Chanyeol and his mother had very different opinions on what guys he should get along with.) looked for a neighborhood Chanyeol could peacefully live in and his work place was something she had suggested. Quite obviously, she demanded Chanyeol to quit as soon as Baekhyun started to work there. Refusing to do so was the most rebellious thing Chanyeol ever pulled off. It wasn’t like Chanyeol was super dependent or something, but what else could he do when his mother always had a sharp eye on him? “Park Chanyeol, are you even listening to me?” Chanyeol stretched his limbs. “Nope. But I don’t have to in order to know what you want. Let me put every single one of our talks throughout the last five years in a nutshell: You met this girl, she’s awesome and now you arranged a blind date with the hope of us two getting married. So when and in which overpriced restaurant do I get this over with this time?” His mother was not amused. She never was. “Chanyeol!” “Yes, eomma, sorry. I’m just tired from work.” It was amusing how her tone could switch from strict to proud and understanding within seconds. “Oh, yes I know, you always work so hard. It must be so exhausting to do your job while also keeping an eye on that faggot.” Nice try, eomma, but I’m still not quitting. “Well, then, you should rest now. You’ll meet Rosé on Saturday at seven, I’ll send you the address. Bye.” His mother smooched the receiver and hung up. Chanyeol let himself fall back into his pillow. His mother was one exhausting woman.

When Chanyeol came to the office the next day, he almost had a heart attack upon seeing his desk. It was loaded with files. A sticky note on top said: I need this until next week’s Friday, this is your top priority. Ask Baekhyun if you need help. Oh Sehun. Chanyeol groaned. He would have to work over the weekend to get this done. This normally wouldn’t be a problem, he often took work home, but he was supposed to have a date. He’d just take all of them home and do stuff before going to bed. That should be alright. There was no way he would ask Baekhyun for help. Chanyeol flipped the first file open. This couldn’t be that bad, could it? Mr. Oh just said yesterday that he didn’t want to overwork Chanyeol. He began reading.

After three hours, Chanyeol sat up in his chair and stretched his back. So far, he had seen through ten files. Ten. There was no way he’d manage. No sleep, then, what else would coffee be for? I bet that’s why Baekhyun’s such a fucking model worker. It almost seemed like Mr. Oh wanted to force Chanyeol into asking for help. But why would he do that? He couldn’t possibly know about his distaste for Baekhyun. After all, the guy himself didn’t seem to notice. Maybe Chanyeol could use his work to blow off his appointment with that Rosé-girl. But then his mother would be upset. And he’d have to meet Rosé another time. Rosé. What kind of name even was that? Probably not her real one. Chanyeol scoffed. What was it with girls and their nicknames? Soojung was called Krystal by everyone around her, Lalice always introduced herself with the words “Call me Lisa.” What was so wrong with Lalice, anyways? Huh.

“Chanyeol?” Chanyeol’s head snapped up at the call of his name and his neck cracked loudly. He had fallen asleep on his desk. Not the best impression. When he had orientated himself, he found himself looking straight into Baekhyun’s eyes. He looked worried profusely. Of all the people that could find me. “Are you sure you don’t need help? This is a lot.” Baekhyun motioned to the stacks of files on both sides of Chanyeol’s head. Chanyeol wanted to say he was fine. He really did. But he was starting to think that even without his “date” he wouldn’t manage on time. “Actually… Yeah, I might need a hand on this.” He begrudgingly admitted. Baekhyun’s face lit up. As he smiled, his eyes formed little crescents. Not that Chanyeol would notice such a thing. “I have a date on Saturday, so I can’t work through the weekend.” Baekhyun’s smile wavered a little at the word date. He kept it on, but it looked weird. Chanyeol shrugged it off. “Only if it’s not a bother, of course, I can also call it off…” “No! No, no, no, that won’t be necessary. I can do it. You go and have fun on Saturday.” Baekhyun grabbed a pile of files (the largest one) and left Chanyeol’s office without another word. You go and have fun on Saturday. Chanyeol couldn’t help but notice that this was the first time ever that when Baekhyun spoke to him, he didn’t sound completely sincere. He would be lying if he said it didn’t worry him. And that he did. He didn’t know Baekhyun, after all. It’s none of his business.

Chanyeol stopped in front of the fancy restaurant. Of course it’d have to be expensive. Chanyeol clenched his jaw and entered. A very snobbish looking waiter greeted him. “Hello, reservation for Park Chanyeol, table for two.” The waiter nodded and led Chanyeol to a table in a secluded corner. Chanyeol rolled his eyes at his mother and took a seat. The waiter brought a bottle of way too pricey wine and the menus. Rosé wasn’t there yet. Chanyeol hadn’t expected it, anyways. She’d arrive fashionably late like every other date Chanyeol ever had. It annoyed him before he even knew her. He looked around the place. It was exactly what you’d expect from a guy who was trying to impress the love of his life. Not Chanyeol. A pretty girl with strawberry blonde hair approached him. She let him wait for half an hour and didn’t look apologetic in the least. Chanyeol got up to pull out her chair. Self-evidently, the girl in the too tight dress sat down and gave Chanyeol a smile as a greeting. “You must be Chanyeol, I’m Park Chaeyoung, but call me Rosé.” It’s not her real name. Chaeyoung studied the menu for abut fifteen minutes before ordering a salad. Typical. A glance in the menu told Chanyeol that she had unerringly picked the most expensive salad the restaurant had to offer. Typical as well. As they waited, they talked. Well, Chaeyoung talked and Chanyeol nodded and hummed at the right parts, pretending to be interested in her best friend’s cousin’s boyfriend’s cat’s stomach illness three years ago. From there, she went on to discussing how much she loved animals and children and cute things in general, that she learned to cook when she was ten, she could sew, clean, wash and took singing lessons. Chanyeol did his best to look impressed while looking around the restaurant. He was, once again, bored to death.  Something on the street caught his attention. There was Baekhyun, with an exhausted, but bright smile, carrying four bags of groceries and two boxes of water bottles, chatting with an elderly lady who looked so immensely grateful that it brought a smile to Chanyeol’s lips. The bags looked heavy and Chanyeol imagined being able to see red streaks on Baekhyun’s delicate hands where they cut into the flesh. He shook his head lightly. One day, his helpfulness would be the death of him. That would be a pity.

It turned out that Chaeyoung had a very low alcohol tolerance. Chanyeol, being the gentleman he was risen to be, would not have it when she tried to get in her own car to go home. Two glasses of wine, Chanyeol thought desperately as he was trying to peel the giggling girl off his arm in order to use the gear box, she had only two glasses. How the fuck is she this hammered? “Chanyeollieeee…” The girl slurred while drooling on his jacket. “Yeollie!” “Yes, Chaeyoung?” She giggled upon hearing her name. She leaned towards him to whisper in his ear. “You just drove past my house.” She nodded and looked very satisfied with herself. Chanyeol groaned and hit the brakes. “Channie!” The called man flinched upon being squealed at right next to his ear. Chaeyoung giggled again and then she pinched his nose. Hard. “Ow!” “You’re so cuuutee!” Chanyeol got off the car, opened the door for Chaeyoung and half carried her to her doorstep. Chaeyoung blinked, looked around and then smiled stupidly big. “We’re home.” She declared proudly, like this was any of her credit. She looked up at Chanyeol with sparkling eyes and bit her lip. “I really had fun tonight.” She whispered. Yeah, I bet you did. Whoever calls a lift a magic spinning cabin, must be really—Chanyeol’s thoughts were cut off when the drunk woman pulled him down with a surprising amount of force and kissed him. Then she giggled and disappeared into the house. She kissed him. Park Chaeyoung, a girl he barely knew and found annoying most of the time, kissed him. More precisely, she took his first kiss. Yes, twenty-six year old Chanyeol still had to have his first kiss. Because he wanted it to be with someone special, someone he loved with all his heart. Not Chaeyoung. Chanyeol huffed in frustration and went home. As soon as he got there, he unceremoniously plopped down on his bed and went to sleep. It was nowhere near his regular bedtime, but Chanyeol was definitely more tired than usual. Who would have thought that nodding and humming every once in a while could take such a toll on you?

A soft, pink pair of lips presses against his. They are gentle, but definitely dominating Chanyeol’s. They don’t taste like Soju like Chaeyoung’s and they move in sync with his. The feeling is addictive and Chanyeol feels like he’s floating and drowning at the same time. He needs to breathe but he refuses to pull away. If he died of suffocation right now, he’d die happy. His stomach is tingling and he tilts his head, giving the other better access to his lips. A warm hand rests on his hip as the other deepens the kiss. Chanyeol feels a tongue swipe against his lower lip, asking for access. He knew it was coming, but it still surprises him. He briefly opens his eyes and looks into a pair of droopy ones. Chanyeol woke up with a groan. What was wrong with him that he kept dreaming about Baekhyun like that? It’s nothing. My brain just tried to process the kiss with Chaeyoung that wasn’t that nice and combined it with a happy experience, namely the sight of Baekhyun and that old lady. I’m not gay. I’m not. It’s alright, I’m not gay. Chanyeol sighed and fell back into his pillow. Thank god it was Sunday.

“Chanyeol, I’m done with the files.” Chanyeol looked up in surprise as Baekhyun dropped the pile of papers on his desk. “Sorry, they’re heavy.” The small man apologized for the loud noise he had caused. Chanyeol shook his head dismissively at the apology. “Wow, thank you, this really helped a lot.” Baekhyun gave one of his rectangular smiles that did not make Chanyeol’s heart flutter. “It’s nothing, really. I’m glad to help. How’d your date go?” Chanyeol contemplated on telling the truth. Then again, he didn’t know Baekhyun like that. “It was fine.” Baekhyun’s smile fell a little. “That’s nice to hear.” Chanyeol smiled at the small man, once again telling his brain (Or was it his heart that secretly worried about Baekhyun?) that the sudden mood swing of his colleague were probably nothing and none of his business, anyways. “Well, I can see that you’re still quite busy, I’ll just leave you alone for now.” Chanyeol gave another grateful smile to the man before looking over his files. Thanks to Baekhyun, about three quarters of the job were done. He could actually manage until Friday. With new motivation, he went back to work.

“Wow, Chanyeol-ssi, you managed on time. Thank you so much.” Chanyeol bowed and made his way out of the room. It had been a demanding week, but Chanyeol had managed. Thanks to Baekhyun. He would have to invite him for a coffee some time. Upon hearing his name for a second time, Chanyeol stopped in his tracks and turned to his boss. “Have you seen Baekhyun around in the last time?” Chanyeol shook his head. “Not since Monday, why?” “He doesn’t seem too well, I thought you might know something.” Chanyeol frowned. Baekhyun always seemed well. He would check on that. Chanyeol nodded and left. What could possibly throw the office’s star worker off the lane? Since Chanyeol had nothing else to do (And because he might be a little worried), he decided to check up on his colleague. “Baekhyun-ssi?” Chanyeol knocked on the door. No reply. He quietly opened the door. The sight that greeted him was something he would never have expected. Baekhyun was sleeping. On his desk, face in the files he was looking though. On closer distance, Chanyeol could see deep, dark circles under the elder’s eyes. His skin looked way too pale, only his cheeks were flushed and he was sweating. Chanyeol reached out for Baekhyun’s forehead to confirm his suspicion. Baekhyun had a fever. A high one. You cool fever with something cold, right? Ice Americano perhaps? No, coffee was a bad idea when you were sick, right? Well, actually, Chanyeol always thought that coffee was a bad idea. He hated the stuff. It was bitter and burned your tongue. He’d only drink it when absolutely necessary. Baekhyun on the other hand chugged the stuff down like it was water. Still, no coffee for the sick, Chanyeol decided. He gently shook Baekhyun’s shoulder. He received a puppy-like whimper in reply and his colleague nuzzled his head into his current pillow, the files. Chanyeol chuckled a little at the cute gesture, although there was hardly anything funny about seeing Baekhyun like that. On a usual occurrence, Baekhyun was powerful. He was small, but he oozed confidence and charisma, hadn’t it been for his homophobia problem, Chanyeol would have loved to work with such a man. Now, however, Baekhyun actually looked his own size, if not smaller. Chanyeol felt like it was very intimate seeing Baekhyun, the guy who handled every problem with a light smile on his pretty lips, in such a vulnerable state. He shook Baekhyun again and this time, he bolted up with a crack of his neck. “Oh, Chanyeol, hey, do you need something?” Chanyeol almost scoffed in disbelief. He was pretty sure that not even Baekhyun was dense enough not to notice he was sick, so he apparently ignored it. And now, awake, he did indeed look a lot better. Perhaps he just always looked vulnerable when he slept? But no, he still looked spent beyond every limit and his eyes didn’t shine quite as bright as usual. Also, Chanyeol had felt his glowing forehead hardly five minutes ago. Baekhyun was sick. He was just a terrific actor as well. “I need you to go home.” Chanyeol answered Baekhyun’s question. “What? Why?” Cute, but I’m not falling for it. “Because you’re sick. You are burning up and, pardon my bluntness, you look like shit.” Baekhyun gave a weak grin at that. “So you don’t think I’m pretty?” Baekhyun pouted and fluttered his lashes. Chanyeol blinked stupidly at the sudden aegyo. What is even going on inside that head sometimes? “Are you trying to distract me?” Baekhyun had at least the decency to look guilty. “You, sir, are going home.” ‘Sir’ shook his head. “I have files to see through.” Chanyeol rolled his eyes at the stubborn man. “That’s what a substitute is for, now go.” “No.” “Yes.” “No.” “Yes.” “No.” “Chanyeollie!” Two heads snapped up and Chanyeol almost groaned upon seeing Park Chaeyoung. “Oppa, when are you going to take me out again? It’s been so long.” It was a week. Stop pouting, you look ridiculous. “So, like, I called your mother, and she said that you were free today and so I thought that maybe we could go to a restaurant or something…” Never has Chanyeol been so grateful for Baekhyun’s presence. “I’m sorry, Chaeyoung, but I actually do have something to do today. You see, this idiot” he gestures to Baekhyun “got himself sick and refuses to go home. I was just about to bring him to his apartment. Maybe another time?” Chaeyoung pouted again, but she nodded and left. Once she was out of earshot, Baekhyun jabbed him in the ribs teasingly. “Soooo… Your date went well?” Chanyeol groaned, making Baekhyun laugh. “What’s the matter? She seems sweet.” He said innocently. “Shut up. Don’t think I forgot that you’re sick. We’re going home.” Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun’s wrist and dragged him to the parking lot under heavy protests.

Chanyeol stopped the car in front of the address Baekhyun had given him. He expectantly turned to his colleague, just to see that the man had fallen asleep on the fifteen minute ride. I’m fine my ass. Chanyeol grumbled a little, but he didn’t complain. It wasn’t Baekhyun’s fault that he was a workaholic. Not really. Chanyeol didn’t have the heart to wake the man up again, so he opted for searching his pockets. Once he found the key, he carefully carried the unconscious man to inside and placed him on his bed. Then, he went to the bathroom, looking through the closets. No medicine. Like, anywhere. Did the man seriously never get sick? Not even a cold? Chanyeol sighed. He had seen a pharmacy around the corner. Good thing that paracetamol wasn’t only sold on prescription. Chanyeol placed the pills on Baekhyun’s nightstand (He hadn’t even moved since Chanyeol had placed him on his bed) and left, sneaking a last glance at the sleeping figure. Chanyeol carefully locked the door and pushed the key under the door slit. He currently didn’t trust Baekhyun to fight off burglars, although if he was given the chance, the small man would certainly try. Stubborn guy.

Chanyeol made his own way home with a little smile on his lips. Baekhyun perhaps wasn’t that bad, although he was gay. And it was really fortunate that Baekhyun let him use him as an excuse not to meet up with Chaeyoung. He still smiled as he grabbed his book and immersed himself in the pages, for once not distracted by thoughts of Baekhyun. Chanyeol felt strangely at peace, as if he had wasted way too much energy trying to hate the man. He wasn’t necessarily happy, but he wasn’t grumpy or lonely, either. The phone rang in the middle of the final battle for Middle Earth, making Chanyeol pout. A man really couldn’t read in peace, now, could he? He considered ignoring it until he saw the caller ID. He loved his mother, of course he did, but she was mad scary when she was angry. Chanyeol decided he’d be better off answering. “Eomma?” Silence. Chanyeol was pretty sure she’d heard him, he could hear her breathing rather well, after all. It was frantic, in short huffs, like she’d just run a marathon. Chanyeol was worried. Was she sick? “Hello, son.” Chanyeol gulped. Not sick. Seething. Shit. “What’s wrong?” He flinched when he heard his mother’s chuckle on the other end of the line, it was not a friendly one. “Oh, nothing. At all. You see, I was just worried about you. Maybe you would need someone to come home to, maybe supported you, cooked for you. Something you could look forward to when coming home. And I arranged this meeting with this lovely girl, and you didn’t want her. You didn’t want the next one, either. Or the next one. Or the one after that. And I thought, fine, perhaps he’s picky. And then I met this sweet and beautiful girl called Chaeyoung and sent you two off on a date. She told me it went lovely. I really thought that you had perhaps found someone, that you could finally settle down. And then she calls me, crying. Why? Because apparently, you ditched her for that fucking faggot of yours!” She screamed the last words. Chanyeol felt annoyed and a little surprised with himself. Did he like Baekhyun enough to feel like talking back to his mother about him? That has never happened before. Chanyeol ignored the little voice in the back of his head that said Well, you like him enough to dream about kissing him, so what’s your point? and answered to his mother instead. “He was sick, eomma, I just brought him home.” “So what?” the woman spat out. “Since when do we care about his kind? And if he died, it wouldn’t be any of your business. The world has enough people like him.” Chanyeol snapped. “How dare you talk about him like that, you don’t know him! Have you ever considered the possibility that besides whom he chooses to love, he’s a nice person? He is an efficient worker, good company and too helpful for his own good!” It was true. Chanyeol had noticed all these thigs about Baekhyun several times before, he just refused to acknowledge them. He had been too caught up in the stereotypes he was fed ever since he could think. Now, he felt ashamed. “He. Is. A. Faggot! He will never have any worth to the society. Of course he’s nice, he wants you to trust him. He’s trying to turn you into one of them.” Now, this was just ridiculous. “Homosexuality is not contagious, mother.” He sighed. No? Then why do you feel this attracted to him? Chanyeol mentally slapped the little voice. I don’t. “You don’t know that!” his mother screeched. Chanyeol pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t be ridiculous.” In that very moment, every single alarm bell in his head started ringing at the same time while a panicking Hagrid ran up and down, yelling I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have said that. I should not have said that. Unlike his brain, the other end of the line was deadly quiet. When his mother spoke, her voice felt like liquid nitrogen. Chanyeol could feel the cold burning his insides. “Ridiculous? I’m not ridiculous. You are naïve. I’m your mother, all I have ever done was worry about you. And I will continue to do so. You will meet Chaeyoung again. And again after that. Until you have learned to respect her, as well as me. You are getting married within the next three years, otherwise, I will disown you. Have a nice day.” She hung up, leaving Chanyeol frozen. He hadn’t found a suitable girl in twenty-six years, how was he gonna do it in three? Meet one and get to know her well enough to know that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, that is. It was basically impossible, especially with Chaeyoung still in the way. That night, Chanyeol fell asleep on the couch, with several empty soju bottles on the living room floor and a half full one still in his hand.

“Chanyeol, are you alright? You seem very tense.” A velvety voice breaks through to Chanyeol. He looks up at Baekhyun. “Yeah, it’s nothing.” He receives a hum in response and a pair of soft, but strong hands wanders to his shoulder blades, applying pressure in exactly the right places. Chanyeol moans. Next to his ear, he hears Baekhyun chuckle. His skilled hands wander over his body, loosening his muscles ever so gently under the approving noises that embarrassingly leave Chanyeol’s mouth. A tongue moves over the shell of his ear. Chanyeol gasps and Baekhyun continues nibbling on his ear, his hands wandering lower on Chanyeol’s back until they cup his butt cheeks. Baekhyun gives them a little squeeze before wrapping his arms around Chanyeol’s waist and pulling him flush against himself, letting Chanyeol feel his erection against his ass. “Baek…” “Hm?” The man presses little kisses against Chanyeol’s spine, giving him goosebumps. “I--”

The ringing doorbell woke Chanyeol up. His head pounded at the loud noise and he slowly opened his eyes. The light hurt and Chanyeol was tempted to just go back to sleep, but the doorbell rang again, making him flinch. Was this noise always so annoying? He hurried to open the door before the persistent being in front of it could cause him any more headaches. He was greeted with the sight of Chaeyoung whose eyes widened upon taking in the sight of Chanyeol. She blushed, bowed in apology and ran away. Huh. Strange. Chanyeol decided to go to the bathroom to find some aspirin and take a shower, he felt filthy. Upon looking into the mirror, he understood why Chaeyoung left. His face was swollen and flushed, his hair disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot. His clothes were wrinkly, as you’d expect when you slept in them. Somewhere during his drinking yesterday, he must have spilled something on his white shirt, thus the ugly stains. His breath reeked of alcohol and Chanyeol noticed just now that he was also sporting an erection, which he blamed his dream for. He stretched his lips into a grin and stepped under the shower. After he had brushed his teeth and deemed himself presentable to public, he left for his favorite café, because he hadn’t found any aspirin. He’d have to stock up his supplies sometime soon. He grabbed the six (!) empty bottles from yesterday to bring them to the dumpster and left his flat.

A content sigh left Chanyeol’s lips as he entered the coffee shop. Somehow, the calm and peaceful ambience the place gave off always managed to calm Chanyeol’s nerves immediately. Not even starting on the tea they served here. It was amazing. This time, though, Chanyeol wasn’t here for tea, it would hardly help with his hangover. He was greeted by his favorite barista, Minseok. “Hello, Chanyeol, it’s been a while.” He pouted at him accusingly. Chanyeol smiled in apology. “So. Same as always?” Chanyeol played his amazement at the man’s change in attitude down by shaking his head. “Something stronger perhaps.” Minseok raised an eyebrow at him, he knew very well that Chanyeol despised coffee. He always drank black tea if he needed caffeine, it was just as effective. “Expresso, then?” Chanyeol cringed at the thought of the bitter beverage, but nodded. “Make that three, please.” He ignored the worried stare he received from Minseok, who took the hint and didn’t inquire. One of the things Chanyeol liked about Minseok, who had become the closest thing to a friend Chanyeol had at the moment, was that he knew when to shut up. He’d always be there when Chanyeol wanted to talk to someone, but he’d never be pushy about anything. “Here’s your drink.” Minseok gave him his order with a sweet smile that puffed up his cheeks a little. This was another thing that not only Chanyeol, but also many girls really appreciated about the barista. He was adorable and mature at the same time. He was caring and understanding, but he wasn’t a pushover, and if Chanyeol were to believe the talk from Minseok’s personal fan club, he had quite some muscle on himself. Then again, perhaps Chanyeol shouldn’t believe the talk of a bunch of high schoolers who had given Minseok, Xiumin for his friends, the nickname XiuDaddy and at any given opportunity ogled the poor man like he was a piece of meat. Chanyeol shook his head and took the first sip of his expresso. It was just as disgusting as he expected.

Chanyeol whined a little as he was walking the streets home. He didn’t feel as terrible as when he left his home, but he still felt half asleep, he had burnt his tongue and the nasty taste of the expresso just wouldn’t leave his mouth. Chanyeol walked like a zombie in his tired state, here and there bumping into people and mumbling apologies he didn’t really mean. Chanyeol’s hip brushed against a bag that dropped and spilled it’s content onto the asphalt. Chanyeol apologized and bent down to help the owner of the bag pick up his things. When he saw who the owner was, though, he wasn’t too happy. “What are you doing here, you’re supposed to be resting!” Baekhyun looked up and rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Chanyeol.” “Fine my ass!” Chanyeol exclaimed, drawing the attention of a few passerby to himself. “Yeah, that too.” Baekhyun grinned cheekily. Chanyeol felt his cheeks heating up. “You are going home. Now.” He ordered Baekhyun sternly. “I have an appointment.” Chanyeol bent down to Baekhyun’s level. “Do I look like I give a fuck?” He took Baekhyun’s bag from him and strode off to the direction he remembered Baekhyun’s home to be in. He heard Baekhyun sigh exasperatedly before he caught up to Chanyeol. “At least give me my phone so I can cancel.” Chanyeol looked through the bag and fished Baekhyun’s phone out. Baekhyun made his call. He kept it curt and professional, indicating that it was a work-related meeting. “What do you think boss would say if he knew you were working even when you’re sick?” Baekhyun laughed a little. “He’d tell me to stop working so hard and threaten to fire me if I were to further exhaust myself this much. Then I’d tell him that he wouldn’t really do it and then he’d try and use his terrible aegyo to convince me. Honestly, that works with no one except for Luhan, I don’t know why he’s even trying. Sehun’s basically just a big baby in a suit.” Chanyeol gasped playfully at the remark about his employer before turning mock-serious again. “Well, if you don’t want to see that aegyo anytime soon, I suggest you actually try to rest, otherwise I’ll snitch on you.” Baekhyun widened his eyes. “You wouldn’t!” “Try me.” Baekhyun pouted a little. It looked a lot cuter than when Chaeyoung did it. Hell, it even looked cuter than Minseok’s. “We’re here.” Baekhyun stated and moved to unlock his flat. “Oh, by the way, thank you for the medicine.” Baekhyun smiled and then moved to look at Chanyeol expectantly. “We’re here, you can give me my bag now.” Chanyeol shook his head. “Hell, no. I know very well that as soon as this door closes, you’ll do anything but relax. You’re coming with me. I’m gonna take care of you until you’re fine again.” Baekhyun’s eyes widened for real this time. “I can’t do that, I don’t want to be a burden.” Chanyeol scoffed. “It’s a lot more burdening to know someone as irresponsible as you is home alone with a fever. You’re coming with me, pack your things.” Baekhyun lowered his head. “Yes, mom.” “Yah!”

“Chanyeol…” “Hm?” “I’m bored.” Chanyeol groaned. He was currently in the kitchen, making dinner for himself and Baekhyun. At least he tried. It wasn’t that easy when your pouty involuntary roommate kept whining about how fine he already is and how much he misses work. It was the fourth day Baekhyun spent with Chanyeol, and the tall man would be lying if he said he didn’t very much enjoy spending time with him. His whole being, his looks, voice and attitude made Chanyeol feel comfortable and safe, like he was coming home after years of travelling. Everything about Baekhyun felt so familiar, but Chanyeol couldn’t place it. “Fine, I’ll let you go back to work tomorrow, I’ll bring your things in the afternoon.” A smile spread on Baekhyun’s face. Chanyeol’s heart did not perform a somersault. He placed a bowl of kimchi fried rice in front of Baekhyun. “This is so delicious. You are a great cook, really.” Baekhyun proclaimed with stuffed cheeks. Chanyeol just smiled and ate his own food silently.

“Baekhyun! You’re back!” “It’s good to see you again, Baekhyun.” “Are you better yet?” “Don’t overwork yourself on your first day!” Chanyeol silently agreed with them. It was very comforting to see Baekhyun back in his regular environment. Chanyeol had missed him here, and he basically lived with the man. Chanyeol sighed softly as he sat back on his chair. He had finished his task for the day, but he could hardly leave three hours before time. So he decided to clean his desk. It was not the most challenging thing to do, but it took it’s sweet time and Chanyeol gladly accepted this time as a possibility to mull over his current situation. His mother still wanted him to get married, he didn’t forget that. Now, obviously, Chaeyoung was not an option. Chanyeol shook at the thought. It should be someone fun to be with, someone caring who didn’t mind that Chanyeol was introverted and didn’t annoy him, someone who was easy to talk to and made him feel at home. Essentially, it should be someone like Baekhyun. Baekhyun! Chanyeol mentally face palmed. How could he be so dumb? Of course, he could ask Baekhyun to set him up. If he was friends with them, they couldn’t be that bad, right? Right. Chanyeol decided to ask him right after he tidied his desk.

“Baekhyun?” “Come in.” Baekhyun smiled at Chanyeol, that beautiful smile Chanyeol had learned to love like so much in the past days. “How can I help you?” Chanyeol sheepishly rubbed his neck. “Well… My mother wants me to get married…” Baekhyun’s face fell a little. “In the next three years. Or she’ll disown me.” His colleague and now friend frowned. “So how can I help you?” “You’ve already met Chaeyoung, so I guess you should know that she’s not an option.” Baekhyun’s face turned very serious. “So what do you suggest? You tell her to meet in a wood and we bury her together?” His tone was cold and professional, his face straight. “Wait…What?” Chanyeol looked at him, completely horrified. Baekhyun’s mouth twitched. Once, twice, then he broke down laughing. “You should have seen your face!” he wheezed. Chanyeol felt stupid, but that didn’t stop him from laughing as well. “No, so actually I wanted to ask you if you had any single female friends…” Baekhyun stopped laughing. His face looked pained for a second, but it wasn’t long enough for Chanyeol to ask what was wrong. “I’m not sure who’s single and who’s not, but if you want, I can ask around.” Chanyeol smiled. “Thank you so much, hyung.” Baekhyun smiled upon being called that for the first time, although it didn’t look entirely happy. “No problem. Do you have any ideal type or something?” Chanyeol thought for a second before answering. “Well, nothing from experience, I never had a girlfriend…-Don’t look at me like that, it’s true…- but I think I’d like someone who doesn’t live in this stereotypical world of ‘This is what a man should do, this is what a woman should do’ and maybe also someone who can think for themselves…” Baekhyun nodded and smiled, although Chanyeol could clearly see a frown on the man’s forehead. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Hello, you must be Ailee. I’m sorry, did you wait for long?” The very pretty girl smiled and shook her head lightly. “No, not at all. You must be Chanyeol.” Chanyeol smiled and nodded. “So…” Ailee said as they were waiting for the waiter to show up, startling Chanyeol who wasn’t used to not being the one to engage the conversation. “You’re a friend of Baekhyun’s?” Chanyeol hummed. “I guess so…” The woman lifted an eyebrow. “You guess so? Who would know if not you?”  Chanyeol smiled lightly and shrugged as an answer. Ailee chuckled. “Your reservation?” Chanyeol flinched as the waiter suddenly popped up out of nowhere. “Ah, yes. Park Chanyeol. Table for two.” The waiter looked up skeptically. “You’re half an hour early, sir.” Chanyeol nodded and smiled sheepishly at the man. He just rolled his eyes and asked the two to follow him in an amused tone. “Why’d you reserve a table for this late, when we were supposed to meet up right in front of the restaurant?” Ailee asked curiously. Chanyeol felt a little awkward answering that, he didn’t want Ailee to think he judged her before even meeting her. “I’m used to my dates arriving fashionably late” he air-quoted the words and Ailee scoffed a little “and since I am tired of receiving pitiful stares from people who think I’ve been ditched, I just reserve the table later than when we’re actually supposed to meet.” Ailee nodded in understanding. “Fashionably late is bullshit.” Chanyeol smiled at her choice of words. “Arriving any time late is just disrespectful. Why do you even put up with those?” Chanyeol wondered, too. He shrugged. “Because my mom insisted on raising her version of a gentleman.” Ailee laughed at that. The waiter brought the menus. Ailee ordered a beer and some kimchi. Unusual. Chanyeol smiled as he placed his order before resuming to chatting with Ailee. It was quite pleasant, talking to the woman. She was easy-going and not too stiff, yet she regarded all rules of politeness when it came to a person you just met but Chanyeol soon noticed she wasn’t his type. What a pity… Chanyeol didn’t even really know why, Ailee was great, they just…didn’t click. Ailee seemed to notice that, too. “It’s alright, you’re not really my type, either. I feel like some kind of unmannered beast next to all your gentlemanliness. You’re still cool, though. We could be friends, if you like?” Chanyeol gladly accepted. They ended the date with an exchange of numbers and an argument about who should pay. Highly unusual, indeed. Chanyeol smiles on his way home. This date might not have resulted in a second one, but it was the most satisfied Chanyeol has ever felt after one. This was the first time he actually wanted to have anything to do with one of his dates.

The next morning, Baekhyun approached Chanyeol with a very smug look on his face. It looked weird, like a mask, but Chanyeol didn’t get a chance to ask about it. “So? How’d it go?” Chanyeol smiled softly. “Best date I ever had.” Baekhyun’s mask broke a little, but he was quick to fix it. This was the only thing Chanyeol could say that actually bothered him about Baekhyun. When he was happy, he looked happy and when he was unhappy, he put on a great effort to look even happier. It wasn’t good for him to just suck all his worries up and bottle then in, but when Chanyeol asked him about that while they lived together, he had just laughed it off. “Really?” Baekhyun asked, as soon as the confident look had slipped back into place. Chanyeol nodded. “We got along really well. Unfortunately, we’re not each other’s type. I’m going to stay friends with her.” Baekhyun smiled, a real one this time. “That’s nice to hear. Although it’s a pity that it didn’t work out. Do you want me to look around further?” Chanyeol looked up in surprise. “If you would do that, that’d be great, although you don’t have to, I really don’t want to be a burden.” Baekhyun chuckled a little. “You’re really not. I’m glad if I can help.” Chanyeol gave his friend a toothy smile in gratitude. “Thanks, hyung, I really appreciate it.” Baekhyun shrugged it off. “It’s nothing, really.” He then pulled his phone out and made a call to a certain Dara.

It turned out that Chanyeol already knew the girl. Park Sandara was two years his senior in high school and his very first (not so) undying love. Not only was she beautiful, but also kind and caring towards everyone. Back then, almost every guy fancied her in one way or the other, Chanyeol guesses that’s why he did, too. He got along with her very well, she was really sweet, but, not as blunt as Ailee and apparently a little shy, she was too quiet for Chanyeol. At the end of the date, it turned out that Chanyeol was too quiet for her, too. Oh, well. Another new friendship. When he brought Dara home, (she came by public transport and it was pouring rain) he saw her look at her phone and blush a few times. “Who’re you texting?” he asked in a rather teasing tone. She blushed even deeper. “Oh, well, uh… Do you remember Jiyong?” Chanyeol snorted out. “Of course I do. Your crush in high school and thus every other guy’s mortal nemesis.” Dara squirmed. “Was I that obvious?” “Uh, yes. You followed him around like a lost puppy. You guys got closer?” The girl smiled and nodded.  Chanyeol halted in front of her apartment building. “Well, then. It was nice to meet you again, Dara, I really enjoyed myself today. I wish you good luck with Jiyong, but I expect you to keep me up to date. I want to cheer for you when you finally get him. Arasseo?” He said it in a mockingly strict tone, imitating their former PE teacher. Dara laughed and nodded. “See you, Chanyeol.” He grinned on his way home. It was nice to catch up with someone from his former school, but building a relationship on shared hatred for a teacher didn’t sound like the best idea. He really hoped that things worked out for Dara and Jiyong, though. She has been following him long enough to deserve that.

It turned out that Baekhyun had a surprisingly large amount of friends who were female and single. Chanyeol went on a new date almost every weekend with girls of all personalities, and when he didn’t meet someone new, his mom forced him into seeing Chaeyoung. He always got along well with his dates, but also always came to the conclusion that they weren’t each other’s type. It was a shame for Baekhyun’s hard work, really, and Chanyeol felt himself panicking slightly. He was obviously set up with the crème de le crème of girls, but none of them suited his taste, nor did he suit theirs. They were all amazing, nice, funny, helpful, easy to talk to and beautiful, but something just didn’t fit. Chanyeol was frustrated. Of course, he had made many friends, and his social life was blooming, but he still didn’t get any closer to solving the marriage problem. Chanyeol was torn from his thoughts when his phone vibrated.

Hey, Yeol, cinema on Saturday? Sunny and Amber will come, too. Wbu?

Bora

Chanyeol smiled. Bora was a little ball of sunshine, Sunny was the sweetest person alive and Amber was plain awesome. Of course he’d go. He typed in his reply.

Sure. What movie, what time?

Rogue One, three pm. The cinema at the mall.

Alright, I’ll be there.

Bora, who could outshine Chanyeol himself in happiness (and Chanyeol didn’t carry the nickname happy virus for nothing) and managed to infect everyone around her with her smile, surprisingly didn’t talk much. One might think it was because of the text messages, but she didn’t speak more if she stood right in front of you. Chanyeol smiled at his new friend’s quirks and finished his documents.

Chanyeol stood in front of the cinema at 2:45. Sunny arrived at the same time, Amber about ten minutes later. Chanyeol furrowed his brows. It was normal for Amber to arrive last second, although never late. But it was more than strange for Bora. As Amber approached them, she was frantically talking into her phone. She hung up, when she arrived. “Bora’s gonna be late, some hit and run asshole broke her car.” Sunny gasped and Chanyeol asked “Is she alright?” Amber nodded. “Yeah, it’s just her car. She’s walking here.” Chanyeol frowned. That would take forever. “Do you know where she is right now?” Amber nodded and gave him the address and Chanyeol got in his car. He found her a few blocks away from the address that Amber had given him, but not as many as she should have been able to walk in the time Chanyeol took to drive there. She was limping. “Bora!” The girl flinched and then smiled. She got into the car without a single question. “Thanks.” She said once she was seated. Chanyeol stuck his bottom lip out. “I thought, you said, you were alright.” He said accusingly, motioning to her legs that seem to have taken some kind of damage. She looked at him cluelessly for a second, then she smiled. “Oh, that wasn’t the accident, but the shoes.” She lifted her leg a little so Chanyeol could take a look at her murderous looking heels. Why would anyone even do this to themselves? Bora saw his stare. “Yah, don’t judge. The cashier that works there on weekends is cute.” Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Now I’m definitely judging you.” Bora hit him playfully. When they arrived at the cinema, it was quarter past three. They’d missed the start of their movie. Bora flipped her hair back. “I volunteer to ask for alternatives.” Chanyeol grinned. Of course. He took a look at the cashier near them and deemed him not that attractive. What did Bora see in him? Nothing, apparently, because Chanyeol could only gape at her as she walked right past him on to the next cash point where he saw a skinny, but pretty girl whose name tag said Dasom. The three friends left watched Bora shamelessly flirt with the blushing girl in a mix of surprise and awe. When Bora came back, she had a huge smile plastered on her face and four tickets in her hand as well as something that looked a lot like a phone number. When Dasom was out of earshot, Bora squealed happily. “So, I didn’t get tickets for Rogue One anymore, apparently it was sold out. So we are watching some chick flick instead.” Sunny smiled, Amber groaned and Chanyeol lifted an eyebrow. Bora suddenly looked very defensive and also a little flushed. “Dasom recommended it.”

It was indeed a chick flick. It was about a girl and her male best friend who had and obvious crush on her. She didn’t notice and asked him to set her up with a friend of his. He wasn’t too happy about it, but complied because she wanted her to find her luck. It didn’t work out between the girl and the best friend’s friend and she ended up with the best friend instead. Chanyeol inwardly rolled his eyes. Firstly, how dense was that girl not to notice he had a crush on her? It was so damn obvious. Secondly, what kind of unrealistic expectations did the movie set for males? Sure, Chanyeol’s never been in love, but he highly doubted that anyone would sacrifice their own happiness to see their love happy. As Chanyeol voiced out these thoughts after the movie to the three girls, they just exchanged meaningful looks. “We know someone like that.” Sunny stated before abruptly changing the topic. Weird. Oh, well. They ended up talking about the male lead role in the film who was apparently Sunny’s new crush. Bora was happily texting with someone who Chanyeol assumed was the little cashier from earlier. A brief glance on the text that Bora was about to send (It started with Hey there, beautiful) confirmed it. Their little chatter was interrupted by the last voice Chanyeol wanted to hear that day. “Park Chanyeol! Are you cheating on me?” The three girls looked up at Chaeyoung in amusement. They had by now all heard of Chanyeol’s overly dramatic wanna-be girlfriend. “Doesn’t one have to be in a relationship in order to cheat?” Amber asked dryly. Chaeyoung blushed furiously. “I think so.” Sunny chimed in. “It’s okay, though.” She said comfortingly to Chaeyoung. “You’re pretty, so you can join us tonight even though you’re not his girlfriend.” Chanyeol choked on his drink. Having friends is awesome. Also, damn, Sunny!  Chaeyoung gasped and then slapped Chanyeol straight across the face before leaving. Amber chuckled lowly and Bora and Sunny exchanged amused looks. “Nice girlfriend you have there, Yeol.”

After a few more hours of bickering, Chanyeol brought the girls home (Bora’s car was broken and the other two didn’t have one) one by one at a rather early time. Sunny had to feed her five hundred cats, (“Hey! I only have six!”) Bora needed her beauty sleep (“I’m meeting Dasom for coffee tomorrow.”) and Amber wanted to watch some important Basketball game. Since Chanyeol didn’t have much to do this evening, he only fixed himself a quick dinner and went to bed. He’d have to look for a new book to read.

Chanyeol woke up when the doorbell rang. He got up with a groan and took a look at the clock. It was 2 am. What the hell does anyone want from me at this time? Chanyeol rubbed his puffy face and opened the door. In front of him stood Baekhyun, his breath smelling like alcohol. “Hey, what’s wrong? Come in.” Chanyeol gave the way for Baekhyun who stepped inside. “Hey, Chanyeol, funny story, that Chaeyeon… Cheoyoung… Chae… thing… thinks I have a bad influence on you. I walked into her this evening and she straight up punched me in the face saying it was my fault you were cheating on her. So I assume you finally found someone?” Baekhyun smiled crookedly, he did  not seem happy. Chanyeol laughed at the memory of Sunny and Amber chasing Chaeyoung away. “No, I met up with Sunny, Amber and Bora today. Chaeyoung apparently thought one or maybe even all three of them were my girlfriends.” Baekhyun chuckled hollowly. “That’s right, Chanyeol declares everyone who likes him his friends… Am I your friend, Chanyeol?” He asked suddenly, his head snapping up to meet Chanyeol’s eyes. Chanyeol was a little surprised by the question. “Of course. I actually consider you the best friend I ever had.” Baekhyun grimaced and took a step towards Chanyeol. Chanyeol took one back. Baekhyun was behaving even weirder than usual and it worried Chanyeol. He had given up on trying to convince himself Baekhyun didn’t matter to him a long time ago. “Baekhyun, are you alright? Why are you here? What do you want?” Chanyeol asked gently, and his friend froze in his tracks. “What do I want? Are you really that dense, Chanyeol? I want you. I have wanted you since four years now. I want you in my flat when I come home, I want you with me at parties so I can show you off to all of my friends, I want you sleeping in my bed when I wake up. I want you squirming underneath me, screaming my name and begging, I want your legs wrapped around my waist while I fuck you into oblivion.” We know someone like that. Sunny’s words suddenly made a lot of sense. Chanyeol felt stupid and Baekhyun was still closing in on him. Chanyeol’s back hit the door. His bedroom door, to be precise. Baekhyun closed the gap between them and pulled Chanyeol into a kiss.

It was passionate, Baekhyun’s lips tasted like alcohol, but also like strawberry and something else that Chanyeol couldn’t define. Baekhyun pressed him flat against the door, Chanyeol couldn’t pull away, and frankly, he didn’t want to. This felt so much better than any dream he had. Chanyeol needed to breathe, but he still couldn’t pull away. He only found his breath when Baekhyun used the doorknob behind him, causing Chanyeol who was leaning against the door to fall backwards onto his bed. Baekhyun was over him in a second, ravishing his lips with such haste and thoroughness that Chanyeol found himself having no trouble believing that Baekhyun has waited for a long time. Baekhyun pulled away to kiss Chanyeol’s jaw instead. “Baekhyun… Stop…” Chanyeol managed to breathe out, but Baekhyun had other plans. He sucked on Chanyeol’s jaw harshly, this would definitely leave a mark. Not that Chanyeol minded. Baekhyun slipped his hands under Chanyeol’s shirt and dragged his fingernails gently over Chanyeol’s abdomen, making him shiver. “Baek. Stop.” Chanyeol didn’t even know why he was protesting, Baekhyun was making him feel so good. It wasn’t like Chanyeol didn’t want this, in fact, he had realized how stupid he was looking for someone like Baekhyun when Baekhyun was right there the moment the man confessed, he was just a little freaked out by the idea of soon having a dick up his butt. Then again, everything Baekhyun did so far felt amazing and he trusted the man, so he let himself slip away into the pleasure he was receiving. Baekhyun had by now discarded Chanyeol of his shirt and attached his mouth to one of Chanyeol’s nipples, pulling embarrassing sounds from Chanyeol’s mouth as he flicked his tongue, nipped and sucked. Chanyeol’s other nipple was taken care of by Baekhyun’s no less skilled fingers, pinching and twisting the flesh. Then, Baekhyun bit down on Chanyeol’s nipple, causing him to yelp and helplessly buck his hips up against Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun looked up from his current task, right into Chanyeol’s eyes and smirked. Chanyeol was about to think that this was the sexiest thing he’s ever seen when his thoughts were cut off by a ridiculously loud moan that he only way later realized came from his mouth when Baekhyun rolled his hips down against his, brushing their clothed erections against each other. Baekhyun repeated the motion and let out a moan himself. He started pulling down Chanyeol’s pants, (god bless pajamas) following the hem with his lips. Baekhyun bit down on Chanyeol’s hip bone, earning another yelp from his by now very willing victim. He got rid of the pants somewhere and without a warning wrapped a hand around Chanyeol’s cock and dug his thumb into the slit. Chanyeol moaned obscenely. He had lost all shame a while ago, and all bones, too, as it seemed. Baekhyun smiled at the reaction and spread Chanyeol’s legs a little further so he could more or less comfortably settle in between. He dipped his head down, but instead of taking Chanyeol’s cock in his mouth like the latter expected, here was a wet sensation further downwards that made Chanyeol instinctively close his legs as far as possible with Baekhyun in between them. “Baekhyun, that’s dirty—“ he was cut off by another of his own yelps when Baekhyun bit the sensitive flesh where his crotch and his thigh connected. He opened his legs again and this time, Baekhyun held them steady while he licked over Chanyeol’s hole again. It twitched in response and Baekhyun covered it with his mouth entirely, giving it a hard suck. Chanyeol felt like his insides were going to explode as Baekhyun took his sweet time licking, sucking and nibbling at Chanyeol’s rim like it was his favorite ice cream. Chanyeol was going to lose his mind. A tear escaped one of his eyes and he thought he couldn’t possibly feel better than this. He was proven wrong once again as Baekhyun finally pushed his tongue through the tight ring of muscle that was Chanyeol’s anus. Chanyeol’s eyes widened and he gasped loudly when Baekhyun pulled his tongue out and pushed it back in, again and again, varying depth and angle as he licked Chanyeol’s insides. Chanyeol almost whined when Baekhyun pulled his tongue out, but he quickly replaced it with a finger that he trusted in and out of Chanyeol, curling it and scraping against his inner walls. It moved in and out easily and the weird feeling was soon replaced by a pleasurable one. Baekhyun added a finger with a squelching sound and moved in and out of Chanyeol with a scissoring motion. Chanyeol’s back arched a little. The third finger stung, but it was a nice sting that made Chanyeol want more. Baekhyun reached deeper now and it left Chanyeol breathless, then a fourth finger was added. This definitely hurt and Chanyeol made a whining sound. “Hush, baby, you’re doing so well, my love.” Baekhyun whispered and started sucking marks on Chanyeol’s quivering thighs as a distraction. Chanyeol relaxed feeling a little proud because of the praise. He felt his hole clench around nothing as Baekhyun pulled his fingers out. He didn’t like the feeling, but soon, he felt something bigger at his entrance. Baekhyun slowly pushed himself inside and Chanyeol found it hard to relax. He didn’t have much experience and people to compare him to, but Baekhyun felt huge. He had used four fingers to prepare him, yet Chanyeol still felt like bursting and Baekhyun wasn’t even fully settled yet. He kept moving, inch by inch, filling Chanyeol up to the brim and more. When Baekhyun was finally fully inside of him, he gave him quite a long time to adjust. While waiting, he placed little kisses on Chanyeol’s face; his eyelids, his forehead, his nose and his temples and whispered praises. “You’re doing so well, my love, taking me in so well.” “You feel so good, baby.” and “You are so beautiful.” Chanyeol’s painfully throbbing erection actually left him enough blood to blush at that. He never saw himself as particularly good looking, but Baekhyun sounded so sincere as he said it, his eyes not only filled with lust, but also love. When Chanyeol felt it was alright for Baekhyun to move, he started squirming a little under him Baekhyun understood and begun to carefully roll his hips, making sure he really wasn’t hurting Chanyeol before pulling out and trusting back in, hitting a bump of spongy tissue with the blunt tip of his dick. Chanyeol thought he had gone blind, but he really didn’t care at the moment. He arched his back of the mattress with a scream of Baekhyun’s name as Baekhyun snapped his hips against his, still speeding up and hitting Chanyeol’s prostate every single time. Chanyeol vaguely felt tears running down his cheeks, he was sweating buckets and he felt so, so, good. Chanyeol climaxed soon after, clenching around Baekhyun’s cock, who groaned at the extra tightness and fucked Chanyeol through his orgasm and beyond while chasing his own. Chanyeol, now overly sensitive, whimpered as Baekhyun released and stilled within him. Chanyeol felt the warm liquid filling him up, and honestly, he liked it. Baekhyun looked down on him with a warm gaze. “I love you, princess.” Princess? Chanyeol didn’t get to inquire, he passed out from exhaustion.

 

 

“Look at Channie’s ears, they’re so funny.” “Eomma, Channie’s eye twitches when he smiles, it’s scary.” “We don’t wanna play with you, Yoda-Channie, you’re weird.” Three year old Chanyeol cried. The other children always laughed at him and called him weird. No one ever played with him, although he was trying really hard to be a good boy, just like eomma told him to. But the children wouldn’t stop. “Yoda-Channie, Yoda-Channie!” Chanyeol pressed his legs to his chest. Dae even kicked sand at him. It stung in his eyes. “Yah, leave him alone, you bums!” A furious looking four-year-old yelled at the children and threw a shovel. He missed by far, but the others still sauntered off, probably to tell teacher TaoTao they’d just been called bums. “Hello, are you okay?” Chanyeol looked up at a boy he’s never seen before with big eyes and nodded shyly. “I’m Baekhyun and you?” “Chanyeol.” The boy sniffed at wiped his snot with the sleeve of his shirt. The older boy bowed clumsily. “It’s nice to meet you, Chanyeollie. You should wash your face, you have sand everywhere.” Baekhyun grabbed Chanyeol’s hand and dragged him to the bathroom. He helped him clean up and refused to leave his side ever since.

“Pwincess?” asked Chanyeol unbelievingly. “I can’t be a pwincess, Hyunnie oppa, I’m a boy.” Baekhyun shrugged. “I don’t care. You’re pretty, so you’re a princess.” Chanyeol blushed. He’d never been called pretty. His parents laughed, when he asked them if he was and patted his head, and the other children certainly didn’t. “I’m not pwetty, I’m weird.” Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows and pressed his hands in his hips. “Who said that?” “The other children.” Chanyeol said. “They’re stupid.” Chanyeol gasped. “Hyunnie oppa! You can’t just go awound calling others stupid.” Baekhyun crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Yes, can! You’re eyes are really pretty and your mouth, and your ears are cute. And if they don’t see that, they’re stupid.” He nodded to himself in determination and added then: “And I’m lucky, because I have princess all to myself.” Chanyeol blushed once again. “If I’m a pwincess, then what are you?” He wanted to know. “I’m your knight, of course. I will protect you from the other kids and when they’re gone, we can marry.” Baekhyun declared proudly. Chanyeol’s eyes widened. “Mawwy? Like eomma and appa?” Baekhyun nodded. “Like eomma and appa, because they love each other. I love you, Princess, do you love me, too?” Chanyeol nodded. “Of course, Hyunnie oppa, I love you this much.” Chanyeol stretched his little arms as far as he could. “Then we have to get married.” Baekhyun declared. “Promise?” “Pinkie pwomise, Hyunnie oppa.” Baekhyun’s lips form a rectangular smile that Chanyeol really liked and then he bent forward and pecked Chanyeol on the lips. Just like that. “You’re mine now.”

Chanyeol smiled. He had known Baekhyun before. How could he have forgotten him? He had missed him so much for a while. Now, he even remembers having turned down a girl in second grade because of him. And the best part of it all? He didn’t lose his first kiss to Chaeyoung, but to someone he sincerely loved. He snuggled into Baekhyun’s side and fell back asleep.

When Chanyeol woke up, Baekhyun was not in bed next to him anymore. He sat up and winced at the pain in his backside before making his way to the living room. No Baekhyun. He looked around the entire house, just to come to the conclusion that Baekhyun has left. Chanyeol would panic and think he’d been used, but for one, he trusted Baekhyun, and for two, he woke up cleaned and clothed with some painkillers on his night stand. Baekhyun clearly cared about him. He’d said so yesterday. He was drunk. Chanyeol ignored the voice and went to make breakfast. He opened the fridge to find ingredients and make scrambled egg. With a twinge of disappointment, he thought about how much he would prefer to eat breakfast together with Baekhyun. Should he call him? Would that be too desperate? Should he tell him he remembered? Chanyeol sighed and placed his plate in the sink. A ringing phone interrupted his thoughts like so often these days. Chanyeol perked up. Was is Baekhyun? It had to be. He picked up the phone without checking the caller ID. “Hello?” “Chanyeol.” His shoulders slumped. It was his mother. And she did not sound happy, but when did she ever in the last time? “Yes, mother.” “You’re cheating on Rosé?” Right. He had almost forgotten about that. He would not tell his mother that he wasn’t in any relationship, because he wasn’t so sure about that anymore, so instead he opted for: “I’m not even dating her.” As expected, that did not sit very well with the woman. “In case you forgot, you are. And you will marry her.” “No, I won’t eomma. I’m fine with getting married, but certainly not to her.” “His mother sighed. Then she took a deep breath and Chanyeol knew her well enough to know that he’d be listening to her rants for at least the next fifteen minutes. He inwardly groaned. “Chaeyoung is a great girl. This has all started when you decided to bring that faggot of yours home. I’m telling you, the boy is filthy—“

“Hi, Channie, how was your day?” Chanyeol giggled. “It was gweat!” “Really, now, sweetie? What was so great about your day?” Chanyeol blushed crimson at the memory. “Hyunnie oppa kissed me.” His mother froze. “He what?” She sounded weird, Chanyeol didn’t like it, so he quickly repeated what he said to not anger her. It seemed to have the opposite effect. “He forced a kiss on you?” Chanyeol shook his head, his mother didn’t understand. “No, he kissed me. He didn’t force me, I liked it.” His mother shook her head repeatedly. “No, no, sweetie, I’m sure he forced you, I didn’t raise a faggot.” It was the first time little Chanyeol heard that word and he didn’t like it. It sounded mean. “What’s a faggot, eomma?” he asked timidly. “It’s someone who loves the same gender.” Ooohh… “I’m a faggot, eomma.” He declared proudly. “No, Chanyeol, you’re not. Faggots sin against god.” Chanyeol cocked his head. Of course, he knew the concept of god and sin from talks between his teachers he had listened to, but it was the first time he ever heard his mother talk about it. “Eomma, we don’t believe in god. And I don’t think loving someone could ever be a sin.” “IT IS! THEY’RE FILTHY! THEY’RE SICK! AND YOU ARE CERTAINLY NOT ONE OF THEM!” Chanyeol looked up at his mother with widened, teary eyes. This was the first time she’d ever yelled at him. “Yes, I am.” He muttered quietly. His mother made him switch kindergartens the next day. No tantrum or tears could change that. She just wants to protect him from that disgusting boy who forced him into something he did not want, at least that was what she always said when he asked her Why? with teary eyes. He missed his Hyunnie oppa for three years before he completely stopped asking.

 

 

So that was how he forgot him. That was why his mother kept such a close eye on him all this time. Not, because homosexuals might be contagious, but because he was already "sick". Chanyeol felt disgusted with himself for having believed her lies. He tried very hard not to sob right into the receiver. His mother knew. She fucking knew it all along and instead of supporting him and helping him come to terms with his sexuality, she tried to delete it. It didn’t even stop her when he was the only one of his classmates who didn’t have a girlfriend, when he was twenty six and hadn’t gotten kissed in twenty three years. That was why she wanted him to get married so desperately. She wanted him bound to a female before he could discover that he didn’t actually want to be. His mother knew all along why Chanyeol had always been an outcast, but she never bothered explaining to him why it was his lunchbox that got stolen, his face that was bloody and bruised whenever a classmate was frustrated. He was gay. And everyone had known before him. “Park Chanyeol, are you even listening?” “No, I’m not. I won’t marry Chaeyoung and if you want to tell someone how disgusting gays are, call dad.” His voice sounded strange to his own ears as he hung up. He’s never been this cold towards anyone. Then again, he’s never felt this betrayed, either. He knew, of course, that the mention of his father was a low blow after she loved him to the moon and back and he’d left her for another man. But she still should have been supportive of him. What if he, too had left his wife for a man after realizing he’s been tricked? If not for Baekhyun, this would probably happen. She could have just educated him. Chanyeol scoffed and went back to bed.

When he arrived at the office on Monday, he made a beeline to Baekhyun’s office. He’d missed him terribly. Strangely, Baekhyun wasn’t there yet. He was always the first to arrive at the office. Chanyeol had a bad feeling in his gut. He went to his boss’ office, maybe Baekhyun had called in sick? As he walked there as quickly as possible, he ran right into the man himself. “Baekhyun! Hey, I was just looking for you.” “Why? Oh, right, it’s fine, I just handed in my resignation letter.” Chanyeol’s world crumbled under his feet. “Resignation letter?” His voice wavered. “Because of me?” Baekhyun looked up at him in surprise. “Of course.” “B-but… You said you loved me…” Chanyeol’s voice broke at the last sentence. Baekhyun cocked his head. “That’s why I’m leaving.” I was just a fling. And now he doesn’t even want to see me anymore. Chanyeol tried and failed at not crying. “It’s okay, you can tell me that I was just a fling, you were drunk anyways. You don’t have to leave.” he wretched out between ugly sobs. Who would have guessed my first love would end so quickly? Chanyeol managed to think sarcastically. It hurt, so bad. Through his tears he didn’t see the surprise on Baekhyun’s face. The older grabbed his wrist and dragged him into an empty office. Chanyeol felt a hand on his cheek wiping his tears in vain, new ones immediately took their place. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Chanyeol who let his head fall on the shorter’s shoulder and cried his heart out. Sunday and now this was too much. Baekhyun held him tightly, whispering sweet words into his ear. “I won’t leave you, I’m not going anywhere, not if you don’t want me to.” “Why would I want you to leave me?” Chanyeol cried. Baekhyun’s voice was regretful as he answered. “You told me to stop. Not once, but twice. I basically raped you, Chanyeol. I thought you hated me. You even were a virgin.” Now Baekhyun’s voice cracked as well. Chanyeol shook his head frantically. “I could never ever hate you, Hyunnie oppa.” Baekhyun stiffened in his hold. “You remember?” Chanyeol sniffed and nodded. “After you called me princess.” Baekhyun smiled strainedly. He looked a little hurt. “You promised to marry me and never came back.” Chanyeol nodded regretfully. “I made the stupid mistake to tell my mother who’d just been left by my father for another man about it.” Baekhyun huffed out a laughter. “I love you, Chanyeol.” “I love you, too, Baekhyun.” Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol into a kiss, resting his hand on Chanyeol’s lower back and Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel like it belonged there.

 

Two years later

 

“So… about that pinkie promise…” Chanyeol lifted his head from Baekhyun’s chest. “Hm?” “I’m still planning on marrying you.” Chanyeol blushed and buried his face in the sheets, enjoying the fingers that combed through his hair lazily. “We can’t” Chanyeol said, his voice muffled though the blanket. “Not in Korea.” his boyfriend corrected. “But your mother’s three-year-limit is running out in five months, and I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t plan on letting you marry someone else. That’s why we’re flying to Vegas over the Easter holidays.” Chanyeol’s eyes got shiny. “Really? We’re getting married? Secretly? Like Romeo and Juliet?” Baekhyun chuckled at his lover’s cuteness. “Really.” He kissed the tip of Chanyeol’s nose. “If you want, of course.” Chanyeol nodded and hugged Baekhyun tightly. “How do you think your mother’s gonna react when we come out to her?” Chanyeol shrugged. “I don’t know.”

 

“You really managed to get married? That’s wonderful, and all of that in secret, how romantic. When do I meet her?” His mother sounded so excited that Chanyeol almost felt bad for her. Almost. “Actually, eomma, we’re right outside your door.” She squealed and hung up. Only a few seconds later, the door opened. “Hello, Mrs. Park, it’s nice to meet you. Again.”

 

 

The end?

 

 

A/N: There it is. It’s not as good as the previous version that I so clumsily deleted without a safety copy, but, hey, it’s something. I should probably mention that I do NOT have any problem with Rosé whatsoever, in fact, I like her a lot. I just needed someone for the role and didn’t want to use one of the standard-exo-‘villains’ (e.g. Krystal, Taeyeon…) , so I decided to go for her. Also, I personally found drunken Rosé quite cute.  
Also, I separated the flashback with many free lines between the paragraphs because I haven't found out how to do cursive here, yet. I'm working on it.


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